We would advise not to do this while staying in hostels. Hostels are way too much fun, packed with people travelling and having fun. One needs a work environment to get work done.

Our trick was: arrive in a city/location and stay in in hostel/hotel for a few days. Meanwhile drive around/ask around/do couchsurfing to get to know places/check the local craigslist. And find yourself an apartment to live in.

Couchsurfing helped us a lot to get to know locals. A co-office did the trick in Buenos Aires. It costs money, but sitting in a coffeshops costs a lot of lattés too. :)